Amendment #1 Q & A.pdf

SAP

State of South Carolina

AMENDMENT #1

Questions & Answers

Solicitation:

Date Issued:

Procurement Officer:

Phone:

E-Mail Address:

Mailing Address:

5400024287 01/12/2023

JEFFERY SCHWALK

1-803-737-1018 SchwalkJC@scdot.org SCDOT Procurement Office PO Box 191 Columbia SC 29202-0191

DESCRIPTION: ON-CALL CULTURAL RESOURCES

USING GOVERNMENTAL UNIT: SC Department of Transportation

SUBMIT YOUR OFFER ON-LINE AT THE FOLLOWING URL: http://www.procurement.sc.gov SUBMIT OFFER BY (Opening Date/Time): 01/27/2023 2:30 PM (See "Deadline For Submission Of Offer" provision) QUESTIONS MUST BE RECEIVED BY: 01/06/2023 10:00 AM (See "Questions From Offerors" provision) NUMBER OF COPIES TO BE SUBMITTED: One Electronic, or Five (5) Hard Copies CONFERENCE TYPE: Pre-Proposal Conference

DATE & TIME: 01/05/2023 10:00:00 COMPLETED

(As appropriate, see "Conferences - Pre-Bid/Proposal" & "Site Visit" provisions)

LOCATION: This conference will be held both via teleconference and in person. Dial-In number: 1-800-753-1965 Access Code:

7236783. In person at SCDOT Headquarters:

955 Park Street, Columbia SC 29201, Room

101. Please preregister by 5:00 PM January 4, 2023.

AWARD &

AMENDMENTS

Award will be posted on 02/28/2023. The award, this solicitation, any amendments, and any related notices will be posted at the following web address: http://www.procurement.sc.gov

You must submit a signed copy of this form with Your Offer. By signing, You agree to be bound by the terms of the Solicitation. You agree to hold Your Offer open for a minimum of sixty (60) calendar days after the Opening Date. (See "Signing Your Offer" provision.)

NAME OF OFFEROR

(full legal name of business submitting the offer)

Any award issued will be issued to, and the contract will be formed with, the entity identified as the Offeror. The entity named as the offeror must be a single and distinct legal entity. Do not use the name of a branch office or a division of a larger entity if the branch or division is not a separate legal entity, i.e., a separate corporation, partnership, sole proprietorship, etc.

AUTHORIZED SIGNATURE

(Person must be authorized to submit binding offer to contract on behalf of Offeror.)

DATE SIGNED

TITLE

(business title of person signing above)

STATE VENDOR NO.

(Register to Obtain S.C. Vendor No. at www.procurement.sc.gov)

PRINTED NAME

(printed name of person signing above)

STATE OF INCORPORATION

(If you are a corporation, identify the state of incorporation.)

OFFEROR'S TYPE OF ENTITY: (Check one) (See "Signing Your Offer" provision.)

___ Sole Proprietorship ___ Partnership ___ Other_____________________________

___ Corporate entity (not tax-exempt) ___ Corporation (tax-exempt) ___ Government entity (federal, state, or local)

COVER PAGE - ON-LINE ONLY (MAR. 2015)

mailto:SchwalkJC@scdot.org http://www.procurement.sc.gov/ http://www.procurement.sc.gov/ http://www.procurement.sc.gov/

SAP

AMENDMENTS TO SOLICITATION (JAN 2004)

(a) The Solicitation may be amended at any time prior to opening. All actual and prospective Offerors should monitor the following web site for the issuance of Amendments: www.procurement.sc.gov (b) Offerors shall acknowledge receipt of any amendment to this solicitation (1) by signing and returning the amendment, (2) by identifying the amendment number and date in the space provided for this purpose on Page Two, (3) by letter, or

(4) by submitting a bid that indicates in some way that the bidder received the amendment. (c) If this solicitation is amended, then all terms and conditions which are not modified remain unchanged. [02-2A005-1]

QUESTIONS FROM OFFERORS - AMENDMENT (JUN 2017)

THE SOLICITATION IS AMENDED AS PROVIDED HEREIN. INFORMATION OR CHANGES

RESULTING FROM QUESTIONS WILL BE SHOWN IN A QUESTION-AND-ANSWER FORMAT. ALL

QUESTIONS RECEIVED HAVE BEEN REPRINTED BELOW. THE “STATE’S RESPONSE” SHOULD BE

READ WITHOUT REFERENCE TO THE QUESTIONS. THE QUESTIONS ARE INCLUDED SOLELY TO

PROVIDE A CROSS-REFERENCE TO THE POTENTIAL OFFEROR THAT SUBMITTED THE QUESTION.

QUESTIONS DO NOT FORM A PART OF THE CONTRACT; THE “STATE’S RESPONSE” DOES. ANY

RESTATEMENT OF PART OR ALL OF AN EXISTING PROVISION OF THE SOLICITATION IN AN

ANSWER DOES NOT MODIFY THE ORIGINAL PROVISION EXCEPT AS FOLLOWS: UNDERLINED

TEXT IS ADDED TO THE ORIGINAL PROVISON. STRICKEN TEXT IS DELETED.

QUESTION #1

Can we provide financial statements for the last 3 years (2019, 2020, 2021), if our most current (2022) audited statement isn’t available yet?

SCDOT RESPONSE

Yes, that would be acceptable.

QUESTION #2

Can we provide Condensed Financial statements to meet the financial statement requirement?

SCDOT RESPONSE

Yes, as long as the statement follows generally accepted accounting guidelines. However, if SCDOT feels additional detail is warranted, the Procurement Officer may request additional detail.

QUESTION #3

Are we required to provide our subconsultant’s Financial Statements? Could we state that their Financials will be available upon request?

SCDOT RESPONSE

Information regarding this is found in the following two clauses in Section V of the Solicitation Document (Text colored blue below for emphasis):

QUALIFICATIONS -- REQUIRED INFORMATION (MAR 2015)

Submit the following information or documentation for you and for any subcontractor (at any tier level) that you identify pursuant to the clause titled Subcontractor - Identification. Err on the side of inclusion. You represent that the information provided is complete.

(a) The general history and experience of the business in providing work of similar size and scope.

(b) Information reflecting the current financial position. Include the most current financial statement and financial statements for the last two fiscal years. If the financial statements have been audited in accordance with the following requirements, provide the audited version of those statements. [Reference Statement of Financial Accounting Concepts No.

5 (FASB, December, 1984), as amended.]

(c) A detailed, narrative statement listing the three most recent, comparable contracts (including contact information) which have been performed. For each contract, describe how the supplies or services provided are similar to those requested by this solicitation, and how they differ.

(d) A list of every business for which supplies or services substantially similar to those sought with this solicitation have been provided, at any time during the past three years.

(e) A list of every South Carolina public body for which supplies or services have been provided at any time during the past three years, if any.

(f) List of failed projects, suspensions, debarments, and significant litigation. [05-5015-2]

SUBCONTRACTOR -- IDENTIFICATION (FEB 2015)

If you intend to subcontract, at any tier level, with another business for any portion of the work and that portion either (1) exceeds 10% of your cost, (2) involves access to any "government information," as defined in the clause entitled "Information Security - Definitions," if included, or (3) otherwise involves services critical to your performance of the work (err on the side of inclusion), your offer must identify that business and the work which they are to perform. Identify potential subcontractors by providing the business name, address, phone, taxpayer identification number, and point of contact. In determining your responsibility, the state may contact and evaluate your proposed subcontractors. [05-5030-2]

The answers to questions #1 and #2 above would also apply to any subcontractor, if applicable to them.

QUESTION #4

Do you want loaded or unloaded hourly rates for the Price Proposal?

SCDOT RESPONSE

For rate card purposes, fully loaded (burdened) rates are required.

QUESTION #5

Is it acceptable for the “Qualifications – Required Information” portion of the proposal to be included as part of the appendix, considering the page limit?

SCDOT RESPONSE

Qualification materials can be grouped together and labeled as a separate document, titled “Qualifications”. These should not be included as a part of the technical proposal.

QUESTION #6

What are the formatting requirements for the proposal document (i.e. font sizing, spacing, etc?).

SCDOT RESPONSE

There are no mandated formatting requirements, but please use reasonable practices and avoid fonts which are difficult to read or are too small (less than 10 pt.).

QUESTION #7

In regards to the SC public bodies for which services have been provided in the past three years—is this intended to be specific to public involvement services only or comprehensive of all professional services?

SCDOT RESPONSE

The intent is that the list include all types of work done by your firm.

QUESTION #8

Do resumes count toward the 10-page limit?

SCDOT RESPONSE

No, resumes will not count toward the 10 page limit.

QUESTION #9

Page 22 of the RFP lists (a) through (f) under “QUALIFICATIONS – REQUIRED INFORMATION (MAR 2015” – Which of these items must be included in the 10-page proposal, and which should go in an appendix?

SCDOT RESPONSE

You should complete the technical proposal requirements outlined in Section IV: Information for Offerors to Submit - Evaluation as outlined. Section V: Qualifications- Required Information asks for some information that may have been included in your technical proposal (the 10-page document). Examples include item a) The general history and experience of the business in providing work of a similar scope and size, and item c) a detailed narrative statement listing the three most recent comparable contracts.

If you feel the information is duplicated, indicate the materials are included in the technical proposal. All other required information should be submitted as a separate attachment labeled “Qualifications”.

QUESTION #10

Please confirm that SF330 forms are not required for this proposal.

SCDOT RESPONSE

SF330 Forms are not required for this solicitation.

QUESTION #11

Please outline the specifically-requested proposal items (referencing page numbers and headers from the RFP) that count towards the 10-page maximum.

SCDOT RESPONSE

From page 18, Section IV: Information for Offerors to Submit – Evaluation:

The following items count towards the 10-page limit:

• Explain in detailed and concise terms your understanding of the scope of services required by the RFP.

• Provide a list of projects of a similar nature that have been completed by the offeror or currently in progress.

Provide references for all listed projects including contact person's telephone number.

• Offeror must describe experience in developing public education materials that were generated as a result of archaeological/historical investigation.

• Offeror must describe how underwater archaeological investigations would be accomplished under an awarded contract.

• Offer must describe their mobilization plans and how they will effectively meet compressed project schedules.

• The proposal must respond to all requirements of the RFP.

Additionally, the statement requirement outlined on page 20, Qualifications – Special Standards of Responsibility should be included in your technical proposal (10-page limit).

The following items will not count toward the 10-page total:

• Cover page (if any)

• Letter of Interest

• Table of Contents

• Resumes (These may be uploaded as a separate clearly labelled document titled “Resumes”.

• The requested sample of the of a research design developed for an intensive archeological survey and data recovery investigation.

• Any other information thought to be relevant should be provided as an appendix to the proposal.

Items from page 20, Section V: Qualifications do not count toward the 10- page total and should be submitted as per the response in Question #9 above.

The Minority Participation section (page 18, continuing on page 19) should be completed and included as a separately labeled document titled “Minority Participation”.

Items from page 21, Subcontractor should be handled as follows:

• Identification of any subcontractor use should be included in the technical proposal (10-page document).

• Resumes for identified subcontractors do not count as a part of the 10-page limit, and may be included with other resumes, provided they are marked to identify them as subcontractor resumes.

The rate card should be included as a separate, clearly labeled document titled “Business Proposal”.

QUESTION #12

Please outline the specific items that should be placed within the Appendix

SCDOT RESPONSE

The appendix is designed to include any other material you feel is relevant to your proposal. It does not count toward the 10-page limit, but should be used only for key material(s) you feel are important.

Responses to the questions above provide instructions on how to handle other materials outside of the technical proposal.

QUESTION #13

If subcontractor resumes are included in the submittal, do they count toward the 10-page limit?

SCDOT RESPONSE

Subcontractor resumes will not count toward the 10 page limit. However, identification of any subcontractor use should be included in the technical proposal (10-page document).

Resumes for identified subcontractors may be included with other resumes, provided they are marked to identify them as subcontractor resumes.

QUESTION #14

Will we be able to know our scoring after proposals have been reviewed and vendors selected?

SCDOT RESPONSE

After the award, you may request information about your scoring. SCDOT will also host a debriefing call, if requested by your firm.

QUESTION #15

Are the cover and table of contents included in the 10-page limit?

SCDOT RESPONSE

Please see the response to Question #11, above.

QUESTION #16

Pages 18-19 addressing Minority Participation appear to contain fill-in-the-blank requirements. Are these pages to be submitted with the proposal? Alone, or does the whole RFP need to be included? Do they count in the 10-page limit?

SCDOT RESPONSE

The Minority Participation sheet can be included as with other qualification materials, or submitted as a separate standalone document named “Minority Participation”. Those pages will not count as a part of the ten page limit.

The entire RFP should not be included.

QUESTION #17

Can we get a list of pre-proposal meeting attendees?

SCDOT RESPONSE

Pre-proposal meeting attendees (as registered, announced and/or recorded) are as follows:

SCDOT Attendees:

Jeffery Schwalk SCDOT Procurement Chad Long Director, Environmental Services Bill Jurgelski RPG 4 NEPA Coordinator/Architectural Historian Rebecca Shepherd Archaeologist Tracy Martin Chief Archeologist

Registered Attendees:

Sean Norris TRC In Person Josh Fletcher HDR In Person Jennifer Pearson HDR In Person Matthew Marino PaleoWest Teleconference Natalie Adams Pope New South Associates In Person James Stewart New South Associates In Person Dr. Hank McKelway WSP In Person Marc Wampler WSP Teleconference Lauren Christian WSP In Person Gale Humphrey WSP Teleconference Erin Murphy VHB Teleconference Sharlene O’Donnell TerraEplorations In Person Michael Walsh Brockington & Associates Teleconference David Baluha Brockington & Associates Teleconference Bill Jordan AECOM In Person Matt Jorgenson AECOM In Person Lorrin Lenarz Johnson Mirmiran & Thompson Teleconference Mary Alfson Tinsman Johnson Mirmiran & Thompson Teleconference Lauren Gryctko Johnson Mirmiran & Thompson Teleconference Alvin Banguilan Richard Grubb & Associates Teleconference Brian Marion Richard Grubb & Associates Teleconference

Unregistered (Names and firms unverified/not fully captured):

Weng (?) RSC Goodwin Teleconference Dawn Reid Arch Consultants Teleconference James Schmidt RSC Goodwin Teleconference Lauren Medford Paleo(West?) Teleconference Marla DeLeon Teleconference Kate Karanza Goodwin & Associates Teleconference Jeff M (?) Goodwin & Associates Teleconference

QUESTION #18

Which firms hold the current cultural resources on-call contracts?

SCDOT RESPONSE

The awards for the previous On-Call Cultural Resources contracts may be viewed from via this link:

https://webprod.cio.sc.gov/SCSolicitationWeb/solicitationAttachment.do?solicitnumber=5400018116

QUESTION #19

What is SCDOT’s process for choosing firms for task orders?

SCDOT RESPONSE

Awarded firms may be chosen for specific on-call work at SCDOT’s discretion. Potential factors may include availability, scope of work, areas of proven expertise and knowledge, cost considerations, and past work done for

SCDOT.

All other terms, conditions, bidding instructions, and specifications remain unchanged. If there are any questions or if any confusion or uncertainty arises as a result of this amendment, it is the sole responsibility of the offeror to contact the procurement officer for clarification. Contact information can be found in the top right-hand corner of the cover page of this amendment. Reference the “duty to inquire” clause in the original invitation for bid.

https://webprod.cio.sc.gov/SCSolicitationWeb/solicitationAttachment.do?solicitnumber=5400018116